Energy audits can cut costs

By Kristin Getter, MSU Extension:

Are your greenhouse energy bills getting you down this winter? Do you wish you could find a way to lower your energy usage and thus save you money? Even some of the simplest and inexpensive repairs can do just that. According to University of Massachusetts Extension, fixing a fan louver that doesn’t close correctly – leaving 1-inch gaps, allowing 23,000 BTU per hour of heat loss – can save you $0.46 per hour, assuming a national average cost of $2.798 of fuel oil per gallon. In addition, Pennsylvania State Extension advises greenhouses to simply fill cracks, holes and openings in the structure to potentially reduce the heating bill by 5-10 percent. To evaluate these and other potential energy savings, consider a formal or informal energy audit.

To start, perform your own very informal energy audit by simply walking through your greenhouses and evaluating potential improvements. One tool to help you is a document titled “Conduct an Energy Audit of Your Greenhouses,” written by John W. Bartok Jr. This quick checklist provides a list of energy improvements to consider as you walk through your greenhouses.